Exploring Tokyo Bay

By Bruce Robertson

Bruce Robertson

Discovering the newest old part of Tokyo along the seafront.

The shop was fairly easy to find and we were there in plenty of time, as was the only other rider on the tour - a Dutch guy. Unfortunately 2 other people who had booked were no shows. Our guides, Kazu and Misato, set us up with bikes plus a bottle of water which was replenished as needed and then gave us a good basic rundown on Tokyo before we set out .

It was a tour of two halves - which included a great lunch! In the morning we set off for parts of Tokyo that didn't exist in earlier periods - about 15% of Tokyo Bay has been reclaimed in stages over the past 500 years.

First up was the Sumiyoshi Shrine, a quiet but well used Shinto shrine, free from the hordes of tourists at the bigger better known ones. It also housed a mobile shrine which is used for festivities - that helped join the dots with the festival we were lucky enough to witness further south in Onomichi.

Then it was off to bustling Tsukiji, Japan's 'Food Town', home of the Outer Market which was the site of the original Tokyo Fish Market until it moved in 2018. The area is still very popular with locals and tourists and is full of restaurants and retailers, mostly of seafood. Today being Sunday, when the new Fish Market is closed, it was very busy which made for a lively atmosphere.

There a lot of open areas on this man-made part of Tokyo Bay and we passed by sporting fields and tennis counts in Toyosu, and the new fish market (closed today). Crossing another bridge onto the next 'island' we were given a real treat in the Symbol Promenade Park. There were a number of dance troupes performing in the beautiful outdoor location - so we stopped to watch for as long as our itinerary would allow.

After winding our way along the coast and the new International Cruise Terminal, we had a lovely lunch in Aqua City Odaiba. Naturally there were also toilets here but there were plenty of public restrooms along the way - all scrupulously clean - so you're never caught short!

On the waterfront opposite the centre was a bit of a surprise - the Statue of Liberty! I had a quick double take to check what city we were in as we saw the original just a few months previously.. This was indeed a copy - Tokyo’s version was loaned (for a year) from its home at Île aux Cygnes in Paris in 1998 to commemorate French-Japanese ties. It became so popular that they built a new replica here in Odaiba in 2000. Combined with the backdrop of the Rainbow Bridge, it has been the ultimate photo op ever since. It isn't very obvious how the bridge got its (nick)name but apparently on December evenings there is a very impressive rainbow lighting display.

The second half of the tour was a ride back into the old city. We stopped at the Buddhist temple of the former Shoguns, Zojoji. The impressive 17th century gate led to an equally impressive Main Temple building, albeit dating from the 1970s, at the foot of the (older) Tokyo Tower. The latter has since been surpassed by the Tokyo Skytree which opened in 2010 - now the tallest tower and third tallest man-made structure in the world.
The Zojoji temple also has a garden of Jizo statues, representing unborn children, and the cemetery of the Tokugawa family of the Shoguns.

We rode past the beautiful former Shogunate, and later Imperial, Hama-rikyu gardens - since handed over to the City of Tokyo who have restored them. The following day we returned for a visit and had a matcha tea and mochi treat at the Nakajima teahouse - rebuilt in 1983.

Next was a stop at the Atago shrine. Although the main building was under renovation, the very steep stairs leading to the shrine are also famous, as they represent success in life. According to legend, a young samurai successfully dared to ride his horse up the stairs to deliver plum blossoms to the shogun. We all climbed the steps except for Kazu, who seems to be pretty successful already!

Then on to the last stop of the tour, Edo Castle - the home of the Emperor since the Meiji restoration in 1867. It is surrounded by a large moat - the excavation of which formed the basis of the first infills in Tokyo Bay. The keep burned down in 1657 as have many of the other original buildings. The 'new' palace is only open to the public twice a year and the vast site is mostly private. However there is a large public garden that is open most days - except Mondays which is when we tried to visit!

Leaving the castle we rode along the highway which is closed to traffic on Sundays! We crossed back across the city to Shinkawa which seemed to be pretty easy going - a combination perhaps of less traffic on Sunday and the guide purposefully choosing quieter routes.

A refreshing beer and chat at the end finished an amazing way to explore Tokyo in a relatively short time. Could we have done it without a guide? For sure, but to have seen and experienced so much in a day would have taken a lot of planning (which frankly not many people are prepared to do - including me). And for everything to go so smoothly, without the insider knowledge or speaking any of the language, would just not have happened. I have no hesitation in recommending Tokyo Great Cycling Tour - whether you're visiting for a short or longer period.